A few weeks back, I was approached by David Burch, Communications Manager at Volunteers of America. David was soliciting questions and concerns for a very interesting panel to be held in Washington DC.

Here’s a recap of the event from David:

On Monday, June 8, Volunteers of America hosted a panel discussion at the National Press Club on the future of healthcare and services for seniors in America. More than 400 people joined us for this lively conversation featuring leading healthcare reform advocates Tom Daschle and Newt Gingrich, as well as cultural anthropologist Mary Catherine Bateson and Volunteers of America National President Chuck Gould.

If you were unable to attend, you can watch select clips from “Boomer Bust: From Greatest Generation to Crisis Generation,” as well as video of the entire event, online at http://voa.org/boomerbust. A detailed overview of the event also can be found here.

The panel discussion served to launch Volunteers of America’s new Aging with Options initiative, which aims to transform the way senior care is provided in America by creating new choices, including more access to home care. A conversation with Volunteers of America National President Chuck Gould, in which he discusses his thoughts on the future of health care and services for seniors, can be found at http://voa.org/gouldqanda.

Looks like a great start to the conversation. However, I noticed one major omission from this discussion. While I certainly have the utmost respect for the policy expertise of the panel, I would have liked to have seen some family representation to encourage that side of the debate.

That being said, David graciously accepted my questions and I am happy to have participated. The clips on the site above are a good summary.